Sixteen years after Thor Hushovd gave Norway its debut victory in Het Nieuwsblad, Søren Wærenskjold admitted it felt ‘a bit surreal’ to have emulated his compatriot, especially as he’d come to Opening Weekend with Sunday’s Kuurne-Brussels-Kuurne on his programme rather than Saturday’s big race.
‘I’m pinching myself, I came to Belgium for Sunday’s race and this one rarely ends in a sprint,’ said the Uno-X Mobility rider, who got a late call-up at the expense of teammate Markus Hoelgaard because the headwind made a bunch finish much more likely than it usually is for Nieuwsblad.
